


Love is madness

by redangeleve



Series: Love the way you lie (Translation) [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Aftermath of a forced pregnancy, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, M/M, Manipulation, Poor Hux, Rape Aftermath, Transgender Hux, powerstruggle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:55:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22386043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redangeleve/pseuds/redangeleve
Summary: It was a cautious palpation, like a sniffing between wild animals to find out if they were facing friend or foe. But although it was part of Ren's plan to take the repentant General back, he would not make the first move. Hux would have to take care of that himself. (Sequel to "Alibi")
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Series: Love the way you lie (Translation) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608670
Comments: 22
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Love is madness](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22256725) by [redangeleve](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redangeleve/pseuds/redangeleve). 



> This is a sequel to my Kyloux Story "Alibi" and it is really important to read that one first to understand the plot. 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/22224430/chapters/53064421
> 
> As in the first story, Hux is a transgender character and it's all about manipulation, the aftermath of a forced pregnancy and blackmail (also in a sexual way). It is far from my intention to trivialize the topic of rape or to make fun of transgender people. I would like to point out that I am not a friend of violence, drugs or blackmail. My story is only intended to entertain without offending anyone. If you feel triggered by the tags, I would advise against reading the story.

Love is madness

Chapter 1

You are insane  
My desire  
A violent daydream  
Love, love  
You are crazy  
A perfect liar  
Said you'd save me  
Love, love

(30 Seconds to Mars, Love is madness)

General Hux

Hux could not say exactly what prevailed as he stood here today, in the place where he had born his daughter and died himself: fatalism, determination or despair. At the time, a year ago to the day, he had believed that survival was the most important of all human instincts, but he was wrong. In his case, it was the addiction to be someone that eclipsed everything else. From the moment he had decided to flee from Ren's shackles, he had discovered that there were things much worse than death: insignificance, for example. 

Although it would have been easy for him, General Hux had never left the planet where he was stranded after his escape from the Finalizer. It had seemed impossible to him, as if when he left he would cut the last thread that still connected him to his daughter. Of course he knew it was a game with fire. If there was one place in the galaxy where he could be recognized, it was here, where he had waited for weeks in a quarter to finally deliver her. As soon as he barely recovered from the birth, he had gotten a fake passport and a ticket to nowhere, but he hadn't flown in the end. 

Instead, after he had managed to get some hormones, he had grown a beard, which he colored black together with his hair and eyebrows. He had never seen the Force user, who had helped him cover his tracks again, but Hux didn't need him either. He had always been a survivor. To get along, he took a job as a mechanic in a garage that repaired everything that had an engine, from speeders to agricultural machinery to shuttles. His complexion, which had always been pale due to life in space, took on a reddish-bronze tinge and his hair just kept growing until he had to brush it behind his ears to work. But even though he was almost always busy with something, he still wouldn't say it was a life. It was a vegetation without a fixed destination. The First Order had been everything to him, his fixed point, the meaning of his existence. Without it, he drifted through space like an asteroid. In his former life he had not only been the constructor of Starkiller, which had caused the death of trillions of people, but he had also been the commander of a huge Stardestroyer and the General of more than a hundred thousand Stormtroopers, who followed him devotedly into battle. Now he was nothing. A face without a name that nobody would miss if he lay dead in the gutter somewhere. It wasn't meant to end like this. It couldn't end that way. He wouldn't let it.

He knew it was madness, but General Hux wanted his life back, he wanted his rank back and he wanted his ship back. Even if that meant sacrificing his cover and returning to the realm of the living. He knew this would not be easy, but at least he knew now how Ren's mind worked and had taken precautions. He would not let the dark-haired knight let him play by his rules once again. But first he had to find a way back to the First Order. For months, Hux planned all the details, leaving nothing to chance. Then he had no choice but to wait for today. 

His stomach fluttered restlessly when he saw the ship land. Ren's personal shuttle. Hux was sure he would find it out among a million other ships, as many times he had seen it. In fact, if he'd be blindfolded he could tell by the sound of its engines alone. Though he had hoped Ren would choose this day to visit his grave for whatever reason, he had not been sure. Enviously, Hux had to admit that the knight had hardly changed at all. He was still as imposing and sombre as he had remembered him as he strode across the cemetery in his dark robe, flanked by four Stormtroopers. Then his gaze fell on the small figure on Ren's arm and his heart stopped for a moment. His daughter, his child. She had grown quite a bit since he had last seen her, but she was still the spitting image of her father, and the way she held on to him was like trusting him blindly. That was good, just as Hux had wished. Still, her sight caused ambivalent feelings in his chest. Though he had been longing to see her again, he knew only too well that Ren would do everything he could to use her against him at every opportunity, but he had to take that risk. If he wanted his life back, he couldn't be distracted by something like parental feelings. 

They stopped in front of the unadorned grave before one of the Stormtroopers laid down a wreath of flowers, then Ren went down on his knees to squat in front of it with the child. Apparently he was having a silent conversation with the supposedly dead man, and Hux almost felt like an intruder at his own grave, but he would end this charade now before there were any more strange scenes.

"Ren."

Hux had expected that the knight would be angry, that he would roar or grab him with his hands or the Force. After all, he had run away, hid, and eventually even simulated his death to escape him, so it came as more than a surprise to him when Ren simply stood up, still holding the child close to him, and looked at him calmly with a neutral face.

"Hux."

XXXXXX

Kylo Ren

It was frightening how much the General had changed, which was not only due to the new hair color. Life on the planet had made him rougher. Although his clothes were clean, it was clear that Hux no longer had the luxury of a laundry to keep his stuff in order. His hands, once so well-groomed, were calloused from work, and the motor oil stuck under his nails. The beard and the wrong hair color did not suit him. Still, Ren was glad to see him. That Hux had revealed himself to him meant that the time of hiding was finally over.

It had taken him weeks to figure out the General's false game, but in the end, he had seen through it. A few simple mind tricks couldn't fool the Knight of Ren forever, and the run-down Force user had shown little resistance against the torture in the Stardestroyer's interrogation room. The old fool had hardly any rudimentary knowledge of the things he was playing with anyway, had probably never been trained in the use of his abilities. Within no time, Ren had gotten the information he wanted before he broke the man's neck quickly and efficiently. After that, it would have been easy for him to fly to the planet, arrest Hux and take him with him, but he did not. Instead, he let him be. Weighing him in safety to live a free life. Kept him believing his plan had succeeded. 

Instead, Ren secretly watched him from a distance, noticed his struggle to get on his feet, get a foothold on the planet, find work and build a life, only to realize it was pointless. Hux would never be happy just being anybody. That was not his style. He didn't want to live without his troops, in whose devotion the arrogance of his ego could bask. 

He needed the First Order. He needed the Finalizer. 

And he needed Kylo Ren.

But Hux would have to come to that realization on his own. While he waited for this to happen, Ren used the time to build a bond with his daughter. Since he didn't trust any of his subordinates after what happened with the General, he took care of her himself whenever possible, using the Force to help him identify her needs. The Force had still been raw in her, but she felt her opposite in him, which allowed Ren to create a delicate bond between them. He changed her, fed her, washed her. Most nights, she even slept in his bed and when he had to go to a meeting with his officers, he would often take her with him. No member of the high command had dared to ask him where the child came from. In fact, they did not dare to mention the presence of the infant even with a word, let alone criticize it when she was whining or began to scream loudly. When he couldn't avoid it, Ren would leave her in his quarters with a Droid, but not without locking the door with at least three different security codes first. 

Even now he pressed her protectively to his chest, despite knowing that Hux was no danger at the moment. It was obvious that the General had come to grovel; to ask for reinstatement into the ranks of the First Order, and Ren was not averse to granting it to him, albeit under certain conditions.

"Ren."

"Hux."

It was a cautious palpation, like a sniffing between wild animals to find out if they were facing friend or foe. But although it was part of Ren's plan to take the repentant General back, he would not make the first move. Hux would have to take care of that himself.

"I ... am not dead," the General began, his eyes flitting restlessly from Ren's to those of his daughter, who looked at him with an expression of open curiosity. Her irises were blue, just like his. Of course he had noticed this shortly after her birth, but since most children had blue eyes at the beginning of their lives, he would not have been surprised if it had changed. At least she got that one thing from him, even if she seemed to be a copy of her father. 

"I can see that," Ren replied, who had seen the General's eye contact with his child. Normally the little girl was actually in a phase where she was extremely suspicious of strangers, but she didn't seem to be afraid of Hux. In fact, he could feel her mind to reach for the General, feeling him out, looking for something, and finally withdrawing again. Interesting. If Hux had felt that the child had tried to get inside his head, he didn't let it show, but most likely he hadn't noticed it at all. What seemed to unsettle him more was the fact that Ren was not surprised to see him alive. Apparently, Hux had expected a different reaction. With questions, accusations or outbursts of anger, but Ren would spare them both this farce. Of course, it would be amusing to see Hux fidgeting a bit longer, but at the same time it was an unnecessary waste of his time. The General belonged to him, nothing had changed about that, and that he now returned to him voluntarily was much more satisfying than if Ren had forced him to do so.

Trying not to let his insecurity show, Hux tightened his body before he finally started: "I have thought a lot about my mistakes, about your mistakes and why I left. And I have come to the conclusion that I want to go back. Back to the First Order. I know what you're going to say now and you're right..."

"All right."

"Excuse me?" Hux thought he heard wrong.

Ren's face was devoid of emotion when he repeated, "I said all right. Officially, you were missing until now. I never recorded your death in your personnel file. So we're going to treat this as if you're returning from a protracted mission. Without demotion or punishment and without any reduction in your pay - but also without your old command."

This was more than Hux had feared, but less than he had dared to hope for. Of course, it had been assumed that someone else had taken the command of the Stardestroyer in his absence, but in his eyes, no one could hold a candle to him as commander. His success spoke for itself. No other General could achieve as many victories as he did. Although the ship belonged to the First Order, Hux considered it his personal property, but unfortunately, it was a fact that only Ren had the power to give him back his post. "May I ask who is commander of the Finalizer now?"

"General Mitaka," Ren replied without blinking. "It was a logical promotion after your loss."

"I understand." Hux would have come up with at least a dozen reasons why Mitaka was not a good choice for this post, but he better kept his mouth shut. Even if no punishment would be added to his file, it did not mean that he got away without sanctions. It would be easy for Ren as the Supreme Leader to relieve Mitaka of his position and give Hux back the command. If he felt like it, he could deal with them all like pawns in chess, so Hux understood it for what it was: a lesson in humility. Even if Hux was allowed to keep the rank of a General, it would be humiliating for him to see another in the role of the commander and for Mitaka it would be a welcome satisfaction to be above him in the order of precedence and give orders to Hux. But if Ren expected him to rebel, to express his displeasure at his decision, he was wrong. Hux would do no such thing. As much as it pained him to submit, he would accept Ren's choice. He had to do it to get back on track again. Once he was back on board of the Finalizer, he would begin to fight his way back to the top, with or without Ren's help.

The reluctant sounds of his daughter drew Hux out of his thoughts. Her face was distorted into an angry grimace and she fidgeted restlessly on Ren's arm, obviously trying to be put down by him, so the Knight had his hands full not to let her fall. Without thinking about it, Hux took a step forward. His hands opened and closed involuntarily as he struggled with himself if he could dare to ask Ren to give her to him before he finally gave himself a jerk.

"May I hold her, too?"

Ren's gaze seemed to burn a hole in his face when he looked at him, as if he had said something forbidden. Immediately, Hux felt the dark presence in his head, burrowing and digging in his thoughts to find out his intentions, but though the General hated it when Ren did so, he tried to reveal everything necessary to show that he was up to no harm. All he wanted was to hold his child in his arms. No more, no less. It wasn't until Ren was sure Hux was holding out on him that he retreated and looked down at the fidgeting girl. "That depends on if she wants it too."

Hux almost expected to be rejected by her as he tried to take another step closer and reach out to her, but contrary to his fears, the little one stopped fighting back and allowed herself to be handed from one man to another before she suddenly became quite calm. It was a strange feeling to hold her. Not like the day she was born. For such a small creature she was surprisingly heavy, but that was probably only because Hux compared her to the baby he had given away a year ago and had not seen since. The black hair, which at the time had been more of a short, dark fuzz, curled in her neck, but it was still soft when he put his cheek on it, and when he inhaled her scent involuntarily, he noticed that she smelled wonderfully familiar and strange at the same time. 

"I don't even know her name," the General noted while trying not to let it show how much he enjoyed the feeling of her closeness.

"Arihnda," Ren replied, and his tone was quite different from usual when he pronounced the name. "Her name is Arihnda."

Surprised, Hux sought the knight's gaze. He had not expected Ren to remember how Hux had told him about his admiration for Grand Admiral Thrawn at one of their dinners, but obviously Ren still knew about it and had chosen her daughter's name in memory of Thrawn's comrade-in-arms Arihnda Pryce. It was a beautiful gesture, which he appreciated. He himself could not have chosen a better name for his child.

"Arihnda," Hux tested the sound on his tongue, and indeed, the girl responded to him. Her big, blue eyes wandered for a long time over Hux's face, who looked back at her uncertainly, then she stretched out her small hands and began to feel his features bit by bit, as if she wanted to memorize his appearance with all her senses. 

"She recognizes you," claimed Ren, who was standing so close that he could take over the child at any time if Hux should prove to be unable to hold the girl.

"That's impossible," the General immediately contradicted, arms gently closed around the small body and without turning his gaze away from his daughter, who now clung to his clothes just as she had done to Ren earlier.

"You have no idea of her abilities," Ren returned unimpressed before reaching out his hands to reclaim his daughter. Reluctantly, Hux gave the child to her father, then Ren turned away and gave the Stormtroopers the signal to leave. "Follow me. We return to the Finalizer."

tbc ...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

You are insane  
My desire  
A dangerous game  
Love, love  
You are crazy  
A perfect liar  
Simply save me  
Love, love

(30 Seconds to Mars, Love is madness)

General Hux

The Finalizer was still exactly as Hux had remembered it. Huge and majestic and simply beautiful. Just looking at it through the hatches of the shuttle made his heart beat faster. It reminded him of the first time he left Arkanis for a mission on a Stardestroyer, when he was a young cadet. Even though he was older now, the view still filled him with awe. Bigger and bigger it grew as they approached, until it seemed to take over the entire horizon. After the long time the General had yearned for it, it seemed almost unreal to him that he would immediately walk through the familiar corridors of Durasteel again. 

Neither Ren nor he himself had spoken much during the flight. Both men seemed to be deep in their thoughts, only Arihnda made small noises, completely unimpressed by the Stormtroopers in combat gear in the seats opposite, as well as the view through the hatch to the vastness of space. The brightly polished armour of the men made Hux very aware of how unimpressive his dusty clothes must look to them, but since there was nothing he could do about it at the moment, he tried to make up for this flaw with his straight posture and his respect demanding expression. It had been hard for him to get used to wear civilian clothes during his first weeks on the planet. Hux had spent almost his entire life in uniform. He loved the order and uniformity that military clothing radiated. The plain shirts and trousers he had worn in exile seemed like a disguise to him. Because of this he was all the more relieved when he learned that his wardrobe still existed with the rest of his things. 

The hangar was buzzing with activity as usual when their shuttle landed, so Hux had hoped to simply disappear into the crowd, but although most of the eyes were covered by helmets, he still felt quite a few curious glances as he left the ship at Ren's side and headed for his quarters. Hux was eager to take a shower and finally slip into appropriate clothes, while Ren would announce his return among the high command and order a familiarization of his person with the shift schedule. Her daughter, who had fallen asleep on her father's arm just before landing, would remain in Ren's quarters under a droids supervision for the duration. A circumstance that Hux would like to see changed in the long run, for it reminded him too much of his own loveless childhood, but it was too early to ask Ren to become involved with Arihnda's care. 

Arriving outside his rooms, Hux entered the code into the control panel with somnambulistic confidence, and not a second later the door moved aside. The smell that struck him was familiar, but it wasn't until he stepped over the threshold that he really felt at home. This was his refuge, his safe haven. Here he had planned Starkiller, worked for years on its completion and licked his wounds after the destruction of the weapon. Satisfied, Hux let his gaze wander over the spartan furnishings. He did not have many personal possessions. The standard datapad, a few real paper books, relics of times long past, awards from Academy days, and a holoprojector with pictures of the designs of his base, which he had kept in a mixture of nostalgia and melancholy. In fact, everything seemed untouched and intact. His next look was at the wardrobe, where uniforms, nightwear and standard underwear were folded in meticulous order. Relieved, he slipped out of his shoes, then unbuttoned his shirt and carelessly dropped it on the floor. He did the same with the trousers, socks and underwear. It was pointless to keep everything in good condition, because he would never want to wear it again anyway. 

When he stepped into the refresher and looked in the mirror, a stranger looked back at him. Although his body was back to the way it had been before the pregnancy thanks to the hormones and the meagre rations he had eaten on the planet, the condition of his head was completely unacceptable. Reluctantly, Hux rubbed his scratchy beard. It did not fit here, belonged to another life. The freckles that life in the fresh air had drawn on his skin would fade after a while, just like his complexion, but the color in his hair and eyebrows would take time to grow out. Even though he was reluctant to see himself like this, it could not be changed, but he would shave off his beard right now, before taking a shower. Maybe he would feel a little more like himself afterwards.

XXXXXX

Kylo Ren

He could feel the mistrust of the high command more than clearly when he brought them the news of Hux's return. It burned in his head like the smell of sweat did in his nose, but he did not care. If it pleased them, they could guess about where the General had spent the last fifteen months. Some of them thought Hux was a remorseful deserter, others believed he had spent the time for whatever crime he had committed in a prison chosen by Ren, and still others wondered if Hux's physical condition before his disappearance had been an illness he had had to cure before he could resume his duties. But none of them dared to voice their concerns out loud. Ren had made it clear that the General's status was untouchable. No one suspected the real reason for his absence and that was a good thing. All they should care about was that he was back now.

Although Hux was not yet part of the duty staff, he still appeared on the bridge an hour later to report back from his "mission" and Ren, who actually had other duties, didn't miss the chance to watch the spectacle. He wouldn't want to miss the meeting of the former and the current commander for anything in the world. Pleased, he noticed that the General almost looked like himself again in his uniform. His healthy skin color seemed out of place in space, but clean-shaven, as Hux was now, he finally looked like the man Ren had impregnated almost two years ago. Only the wrong hair color disturbed the picture. With his head held high, his face an impenetrable mask and his hands crossed behind his back, Hux walked past the navigators, radio technicians and on-board electronic technicians at a steady pace, as if he didn't even see them. The lower-ranking bridge members knuckled under Hux, as they had always done, and most of the officers greeted him with restrained respect, but as for Dopheld Mitaka, it was up to Hux to pay his respects to the now higher-ranking commander.

Ren could almost feel the General's reluctance to stand at attention in front of the new commander of the Finalizer, but his face didn't reveal anything when he reported to the other man. "General Mitaka, I report for duty."

The young commander's cold eyes scanned Hux's face and the corners of his mouth twisted briefly when he saw the dyed hair, then he nodded slightly. "It's good to see you, General."

"I'll gladly give that back," Hux replied coolly. Of course, it was a lie, but Ren couldn't help but admire the General for how fluently it went over his lips. "What post may I be called upon to occupy?"

"Captain Peavey has been assigned by me to supervise an inventory of ammunition for the bigger artillery, as we have discovered some irregularities since the last battle and I'm sure he could use your help with that," Mitaka replied, and Hux thought to discover a challenging glint in his eyes that showed him how much the young commander enjoyed having this power over him.

For a fraction of a moment, Hux pursed his lips in indignation before collecting himself and straightening his face again. Bean-counting. A task that any lieutenant could supervise and certainly did not match Hux's qualifications. So this was Mitaka's revenge for all the times Hux had belittled him. Just like the new commander, Ren waited to hear the General speak up, but Hux just nodded before leaving with a respectful "Yes, commander". As he walked past Ren, the two men exchanged a quick glance, telling the dark-haired knight, even without reading Hux's mind, that he could expect no resistance from him. The General was determined to do everything possible to regain his post. The only question was how far he would go to do so.

XXXXXX

General Hux

If there was anything to be said about controlling inventory lists, it was certainly that there was hardly anything more monotonous. However, he did get something positive out of the work, as it gave Hux the opportunity to talk to Captain Peavey in peace and quiet and get updated. Apparently, the Finalizer had been involved in one or two fights in his absence. Nothing really serious, but despite the Stardestroyer's clear superiority over the fighters of a smuggling ring that had plundered a First Order Space Base, the ship had sustained more damage than it should have been possible. Apparently Mitaka had sent the TIE fighter squadron out much too late to let them intervene in the battle. Becauce of this one of the big cannons had been destroyed and another one had been unnecessarily damaged. The repairs were still going on, which didn't leave the Finalizer defenseless, but didn't give them full firepower either. 

Annoying, but also very revealing.

Like Hux himself, Mitaka had already had an impressive career at a young age. Due to his rather calm nature, he had climbed unnoticed under the radar of the other officers in the rank, but for the post of commander he lacked very decisive attributes. Speed of decision-making. Cold-bloodedness. Assertiveness. Tactical skills. Skills that Hux possessed very well and whose lack would cost Mitaka dearly. By the time Hux arrived at the end of his shift in Ren's quarters to see his daughter one last time before going to bed, he had already made a mental note or two that would hopefully put an end to Mitaka's career once and for all.

"You look pleased," Ren greeted the General as he asked for permission to enter via the panel next to the door.

"It's good to be back," Hux confessed, stepping into the room past the dark-haired man. Unlike his own room, Ren's quarters had changed. In the past, the room had been furnished purely functionally, equipped only with the odd Battle-Droids for training. Now there were soft balls, dolls and stuffed animals scattered on the floor, a piece of bread had been left on the chair and on the desk was a half-drunk bottle of milk. No trace of training equipment. 

Next to Ren's bed, whose sheets were rumpled up as if he had just been lying in it, stood a cradle in which their little daughter slept blissfully. Quietly, so as not to wake her up, the General stepped beside the cot and looked down at the girl, who had kicked herself free, so that the blanket was now lying at her bare feet, pushed together into a lump. How tiny her toes were. Her little mouth was half open when she slept, so he could see her first teeth, and she puffed softly as she breathed. For a moment Hux succumbed to the sweetness of the child, then he carefully pulled the blanket over her body and tore himself away by turning from her. "I must say, however, that there is something very wrong on this ship."

"Nothing that is still under your jurisdiction," Ren, who had also stepped up to the cradle, returned unimpressed. 

"Not currently, perhaps, but it would be unwise not to think about the future," Hux objected.

"You are free to think whatever you want, but you shouldn't torment yourself with unnecessary hopes," Ren replied emotionlessly as he took another step closer.

Questioningly, the General tilted his head. "Are they really? Unnecessary?"

Instead of answering him, Ren reached out his hand and gently stroked a strand behind the General's ear, leaving his fingers on his cheek a little longer than necessary. The dyed hair was still too long. It made Hux look softer, more vulnerable. An assumption that the General did not like, which he immediately signaled by fending off Ren's hand and stepping away from him as if he had been beaten.

For a long moment they looked at each other and Hux was sure that the other man could see the panic in his thoughts. The brief touch had been enough to unleash a flood of memories and quite a few of them still hurt. He felt cornered. An animal in the trap. His heart was beating wildly against his ribs and his gaze seemed rushed as he turned away jerkily and hurriedly crossed the room. "It's late, I must go," he said goodbye without looking back again. "I'm on the first shift tomorrow."

Whether Ren would answer or not, Hux could not tell, the blood pulsating in his ears was too loud, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to escape to the safety of his quarters before Ren could grab and hold him back. Only when he had passed the door to the passage did he dare to breathe again. What a fool he had been when he had deluded himself into thinking he could regain his position and at the same time find a civilian way to deal with Ren for the benefit of their daughter. As for the dark-haired knight, there would never be anything but struggle for control. 

And Hux was already beginning to doubt whether he could really win this fight.

XXXXXX

Kylo Ren

Without even trying to follow him, Ren watched the General storm out of his quarters before he went over to the desk where he dropped into the chair and activated his datapad. Just a few quick clicks later, the dark-haired knight had activated the secret camera, making the inside of Hux's quarters visible on the screen. It was a model of the latest camouflage technology, anything else would have been noticed by the General immediately. Ren had it installed there long before he returned. Not necessarily for such occasions, but rather to make sure Hux didn't sneak away again, quietly and secretly, but even now, it gave Ren the feeling of control to be able to see the General when he was evading him.

He didn't have to wait long before the redhead stormed into the picture as if the devil himself was after him. But no sooner had the door closed behind him than Hux paused in his run and instead supported himself with his hands on the wall before leaning his forehead against the cold steel and closing his eyes. It was clear to see that he was still agitated. Obviously he had received more to his question than he had expected, so he needed time to collect himself. Wordlessly, the dark-haired knight let his fingertips wander over the man on the screen, still believing he could feel his skin.

One thing he had to give him credit for, Hux had a lot of courage. It was not so much the ambition that surprised Ren, but rather the speed with which the General tackled his goal. Yesterday he had been missing for the First Order and today he was already planning to return to the top of the chain of command. A little too fast for Ren's taste. It served Hux right his wings were clipped. Of course, he hadn't expected the General to allow his advances already now. They hadn't gotten that far yet, but Hux would have to learn that he had to give something for his goal: himself, completely and without compromise. Only then would Ren grant him his wish. The redhead was not yet desperate enough to go for it, but if Ren had something, it was time. He had all the trumps in his hand, so all he had to do was wait. Even if the General didn't know it yet, he would come to him all by himself in the end.

XXXXXX

General Hux

The following weeks became a veritable kaleidoscope of humiliation for General Hux. Contrary to his hopes, it turned out to be more difficult than expected to win back the respect of the crew and to maintain his place in the hierarchy of the Stardestroyer, as the new commander did everything to keep him small. Although no one on the crew dared to spit openly in his face, Hux noticed very well how they talked about him behind his back and made fun of him. Only his pride kept him from letting them realize how much he suffered from it and during the night cycle, when he lay alone in his quarters, he kept imagining how he would punish them once he was the commander of the Finalizer again. He would let them clean the floors with their tongues, he swore to himself, but when he fell asleep over this thought at some point, it were dreams of himself, as he washed the TIE fighters in the hangar in rags or scrubbed the toilets of the officers' quarters with his toothbrush. And then, when he returned to duty, pour slept and embittered, he had to spend another day experiencing that Mitaka was keeping him busy on the bridge near him, giving him the almost perverse satisfaction of knowing that he was now his superior, or filling him with meaningless and nonsensical work, keeping him away from Hux's very own project, the Stormtroopers' training program. 

As if this wasn't bad enough, his relationship with Kylo Ren continued to be difficult. Since the incident on the first evening, the two men had only talked to each other as much as was necessary, which Hux would have found pleasant per se if the dark-haired knight had not kept him on a short leash at the same time, as far as their daughter was concerned. Although Hux was allowed to see her, occupy himself with her and feed her, he was only allowed to do so under Ren's supervision and only in his quarters, watching over each of Hux's steps like a dark shadow. The knight did not allow the little one to leave the room for a tour on the ship, nor did he allow her to spend the night with Hux. 

It was strange, but despite the long separation, and contrary to Hux's fears, the child was actually fond of him, even though he had no idea what the reason was. He had not the slightest experience of how to behave towards a child. It was not as if his father had been a great role model for him. All he had received from Brendol was rejection and beatings. Neither at the Academy nor on First Order ships had Hux ever come into contact with children. Family ties were not tolerated on the ships, so that the crew members who had managed to marry and become parents despite the long missions had to visit their families on space stations or planets. 

Probably the day his daughter was born was the first time Hux had ever held a baby in his arms. Everything he did was purely intuitive, but even though he was worried, his genetic code seemed to be eager to force him into the role of a mother that was biologically predetermined for him, but which he hadn't thought about since childhood and which he had never wanted. Despite his inner conflict and the fact that things like changing diapers disgusted him and he often behaved awkwardly and insecurely, Arihnda didn't seem to care that he wasn't perfect. A fact that probably made her the only person in his whole life who ever showed him affection for who he was and not for his successes or what he pretended to be.

Ren, in turn, had come to terms with the role of father surprisingly well. He did all the work with stoic calm and without even raising his voice, so Hux had to admit that Arihinda actually seemed to have a positive effect on her father in that respect. He never lost control in her presence and his legendary tantrums seemed to belong to the past. Unwillingly, Hux thought about what the first few months had been like for Ren with the child. He wondered if he had ever felt overwhelmed or lonely. How much of what he now knew had he learned and how much had he experienced in his own childhood? Had Han Solo been a good father? Had he loved Ren as he apparently loved his daughter? Or had the fear flickered in his eyes every time he looked at him that his son would one day become just like his grandfather? Well, he must have done something wrong or Ren wouldn't have killed him. But Hux would be careful not to ask him about it. All he wanted was to make sure they wouldn't repeat the mistakes of the past. Even though their relationship was complicated, Hux would try to keep his daughter from noticing. He would give everything he could, to let her grow up happy and content within the bounds of her possibilities, so that she would not hate him and Ren as much as they had hated their own fathers. 

As peaceful as the moments with Arihnda were, it tore him down so much that he didn't make any progress with Ren. Although the General fulfilled all his conditions, performed his duties flawlessly and without complaint, and tried to forget the incident in Ren's quarters and speak to him in a civil tone, Ren made no effort to meet him halfway. Again and again he blocked Hux's accusations regarding the command of the Finalizer and Mitaka's apparent inability to do so. Either he reminded the General of his place in the Order or he looked at him in a way that gave Hux goose bumps all over his body. As if he knew something. A secret he did not share with Hux, but which would reveal itself to him sooner or later. But the feeling that Hux was creeping about made him unsure whether he really wanted to know what it was all about. Nevertheless, his life under Mitaka's boots forced him to continue to set the dark-haired knight. Hux had had enough of being humiliated by him. He couldn't and wouldn't live like that. Again and again he tried to get behind Ren's cover, to convince him with proofs and arguments, until he lost his composure at some point.

"What more do you want from me?" Hux asked frustratedly as he stroked back a strand that had fallen into his forehead as he faced Ren in his quarters. If he was losing control of everything else, at least Hux was now the master of his appearance again. The red of his hair was still washed out with traces of black, but at least he wore it short again, neatly fixed with pomade on his head. "Despite the way he treats me, I have treated Mitaka with a respect he has not earned in a million years. Just since I've been back on the Finalizer, I've watched more than once how he has made decisions that have unnecessarily cost us men and resources. How long will you continue to play blind and deaf and tolerate his incompetence? Is our private feud really worth risking the fate of the First Order?" 

"You're right, I've seen Mitaka's failures," Ren replied, and his facial expressions revealed that the discussion didn't leave him cold either, "but no matter how incompetent he is sometimes, I know he would never betray me.“

How dare he twists the facts so much! "Damn you, Ren, it was you who first cheated on me!" Hux countered angrily. "But in spite of everything you've done, I'm back here again, and of my own free will. That alone should tell you something about my sense of duty to the First Order."

"But I don't want you to be loyal only to the cause," Ren made his point. "If you want a chance to prove yourself again, I demand you be personally loyal to me."

Hux stared at him in disbelief. It wasn't that after the events of the last few weeks he had no idea in which direction the situation was developing, but hearing it now from Ren made his fears come true. "There was no question of that," the general replied, and he tried hard to keep his voice firm. "I wanted to go back to the First Order, not you."

"One won't go without the other," Ren let him know. "Your obligations to our daughter and to myself will not allow it."

"And if I refuse?" Hux stubbornly resisted.

Defensively, the dark-haired knight crossed his arms in front of his chest, as if he wanted to erect the wall that Hux was verbally drawing, now physically between them. "Then you will have to accept that you will never again be in command of the Finalizer. There are a lot of ambitious officers on board and I will not hesitate to make them your superior one by one. So you can continue to do useless work under any commander or you can be dropped off on that hellhole of a planet and live there and screw around on speeders until you are too old to hold a sonic screwdriver. But you will never see your child again."

This was exactly what Hux had feared. It had taken just over a month for Ren to drop his mask and begin blackmailing him with his position and the little one. The only problem was that it helped. He had little choice but to accept the conditions if he didn't want to live in the shadow of a changing commander for the rest of his days or be stuck on a deserted planet without his daughter. Even if that meant going back under Ren's control. 

In a final gesture of rebellion, his icy gaze bored its way into Ren's dark irises before finally letting him know, "You've won. I'll do whatever you want."

Tbc ...


	3. Chapter 3

Love is madness

Chapter 3

I never said that I would be your lover  
I never said that I would be your friend  
I never said that I would take no other  
Be your lover  
Never said

(30 Seconds to Mars, Love is madness)

Kylo Ren

Humiliating the General by forcing him to submit to his will was the second step in Ren's plan after his demotion. At first, the dark-haired knight had not been sure whether he had made a good choice with Mitaka in the role of the commander, but his behavior towards Hux had played into his hands just as he had hoped. In the end, all officers were the same; as soon as they held power in their hands, they abused it to harass their subordinates and they fought tooth and nail against the possibility of having that power taken away from them. 

But though it had filled him with satisfaction to hear Hux surrendering to him, it was not enough for Ren. No, he wanted the other man to finally be completely under his control. For his linkening the General had too often the opportunity to avoid him to even comprehend the consequences of his statement. His shifts on bridge of the Stardestroyer could not be taken from him, for they made Hux the man he was and what he lived for, but the hours the General spent in his quarters working or regenerating in peace were a thorn in the side of the dark-haired knight. Even though he often watched him through the camera at his most intimate moments, this was not enough for him. That time should be his. Everything about Hux should belong to him and he should have no possibility to escape. So he had to take this safe haven from him. He had to force the General to give up his quarters and move into Ren's rooms instead. To him and to their daughter.

XXXXXX

General Hux

Except for his clothes, which were brought by a droid, all his possessions fit into a single, small box. Material things had never been important to him. From childhood on, he had learned to always be ready to leave quickly. A new ship, a new mission, a new chance to prove himself. All these stations had never meant anything to him, were just steps to the top of his career. His quarters on the Finalizer had been the first place where Hux had really felt at home. It hadn't been very luxurious, but since it was an officer's quarters, it had its own refresher, unlike the lower ranks' quarters. Perhaps it was because of the long period of time during which he could call the rooms his personal realm that he now found it so difficult to leave it for good. Moving into Ren's quarters meant giving up the little bit of freedom he still had. It was bigger and more spacious than his old rooms, but from now on he would always be under the control of the dark-haired knight. 

Hux stubbornly looked straight ahead as he passed Captain Peavey in the corridor, after all, as a lower-ranking officer he owed him no reaction to his greeting, but he still felt the other man's eyes on his back until he reached the next bend. He had no illusions about how his move would be perceived. Alone at the thought of how Peavey would tell the other officers about it, he gritted his teeth. The news that he had become Ren's toy would spread like a wildfire on the Stardestroyer. Another pinprick that would torture his fragile ego, but he had no choice but to accept it. 

There was something final about it when Hux stepped past Ren into the quarters with the box in his hands. When the door closed behind him, he felt like he would suffocate. Still, he would not allow Ren the triumph of seeing him tremble. Instead, he clenched his lips tightly together as he crossed the room to clear his personal belongings into the newly set up second bedside table. Behind him, Arihnda, sitting on a blanket on the floor, mumbled happily to herself and Hux forced himself to concentrate fully on the noise. He was with his daughter, that was all that mattered and if he continued to be cooperative, Ren would soon give him back the command of the Finalizer. This goal would be worth every sacrifice that Hux made for it.

XXXXXX

Kylo Ren

Finally, Hux was in the place where he belonged: by his side. Even though, as a last form of protest, he usually ignored Ren's presence, took his meals in the officers' cantina and changed his clothes in the privacy of the refresher. Whenever possible, Hux didn't even look at him and instead occupied himself with their daughter, but there were still moments when it was impossible for the other man to avoid him. During the night cycle, for example, when Hux was lying in their shared bed so far on the edge of the mattress that he almost fell out, so that at some point Ren slipped very close to him and pulled Hux wordlessly to his side. In the beginning, the General's body became quite stiff and the thoughts in his head ran amok, chasing each other like dogs chasing their tails until he was sure that Ren wanted nothing more than to sleep. Then he relaxed most of the time and his mind became calmer, until he finally allowed Ren to wrap his arm around him, so that Hux's head rested on his chest as he fell asleep. 

Or when Hux witnessed Arihnda let one of her stuffed animals fly across the room into her arms. Then the General forgot his protest for a moment and beamed at him with the same pride Ren felt, even though Hux could not comprehend the extent of these extraordinary abilities. Though she barely spoke three words, just started walking, and was no further than other kids in her age in most aspects, the little girl still had an overwhelming control over the Force. More and more often he could feel her reaching out with her mind to other people. Most of them noticed it at most as a sudden pressure, a surprising attack of headache, but Ren knew the signs and calmly but strictly scolded her when she tried it on him, but not without secretly admiring her abilities. 

He himself had been much older when he had consciously used the Force for the first time. All things before that time had been accidents, which he owed to his impetuous temperament, but unlike her father, Arihnda was a very balanced child. She rarely cried and did not need much to be happy. Most nights she slept through, and even when she woke up, she would often just lie there babbling to herself until one of her fathers would take care of her. Of course, that could still change, she hadn't yet reached the infamous defiance phase, not to mention puberty, but Ren still hoped his child would be spared the same restless spirit as he had. He would rather hope she had inherited Hux's cool self-control.

XXXXXX

General Hux

It was a deceptive peace that existed between them since Hux had moved into Ren's quarters. Outside their rooms, Hux stood behind the Supreme Leader from now on, without exception, as the latter had demanded. He felt like a shadow of his former self, but he made sure that no one noticed how much he was reluctant to play that role. Although the balance of power between the General and the commander had not changed, Hux and Ren formed a united front. Whenever official decisions had to be made, they spoke with one tongue and did not offer the other officers a target, even though Hux often found it difficult to subordinate his opinion to that of the Supreme Leader. In return, Ren allowed him to merely live together, but not share more than the same furniture. But this state of affairs could not last much longer. Not if Hux wanted to pursue his goal. But he was not yet ready for that. He did not trust Ren enough to give him that power over himself. In bed when the other man held him in his arms, the memories of Ren's betrayal came back to him. How he had taken him by force, made him pregnant and will-less, and he felt unable to forgive him and give himself to this man once more.

Hux had never been a big eater, but under the bleak situation his life had become, he lost even the last bit of appetite. His face became more and more hollow from day to day, so that he needed stims in addition to hormones more and more often to be able to function at all. Although his daughter was a constant fixed point, a star that somehow made him endure martyrdom, trapped between Ren and the commander, the days seemed almost unbearable to him. Even sleep was not his friend, as Mitaka and his men followed him more and more often into his dreams, so that Hux hardly dared to close his eyes. It was a little thing, a bad joke, which he wouldn't have thought about a second time before, that almost made him lose his composure. When he found the caricature of himself and Mitaka in the officers' cantina one evening, Hux realized that he could no longer delay the inevitable. The unflattering drawing showing him licking the commander's boots made it more than clear to him that he had to change something if he didn't want to drown completely. 

In the past his subordinates would never have dared to expose him so openly. If they had ever dared to create such a piece of work, they would have done it secretly and shown it to themselves in privacy, but now they left it lying on one of the tables for everyone to see. A slap in the face for Hux, who needed all his self-control not to scream loudly when he discovered it, and to not strike out like the rabid dog the others thought he was. It wouldn't do any good to let himself go like that, but it showed the General very clearly that he would lose his men if he didn't pull himself together and fight for his command. He could hardly sink any deeper than now and his trampled pride was suffering far more than his body would ever be able to. In any case, the entire crew of the Finalizer already believed Ren would sleep with him. So it made no difference if he actually gave him control over himself. He had survived it before, he would do it again. With that, the dark-haired knight would have everything Hux had to give. Except his soul, which he would never give him.

XXXXXX

Kylo Ren

He had known that the day would come when Hux's resistance was broken. It just took a little longer than he expected. The night cycle had already begun and their daughter was fast asleep in her cradle. Before that, Ren had bathed and fed her while he waited for Hux to return from his shift to their quarters. The dark-haired knight often did his own work from his quarters, and he only appeared on the bridge or in his office when absolutely necessary. 

Ren had been able to read it in his face as soon as the General had passed through the door, yet he said nothing. Instead, he had started to eat his dinner, not without offering something to Hux, of course, but the general claimed to have already dined in the officers' cantina. A lie, as his mind revealed. He had been there, but hadn't had a bite to eat, but this time Ren would let him be. For the future, however, he would make sure that Hux ate properly. He needed him healthy and ready for action, so he couldn't accept that the General wasn't taking care of himself. Despite this, Hux had kept him company, contrary to his usual habits, while he ate until Ren pushed the empty plate on the table away. Only then did Hux get up from his seat without a word and approached him, bending over in an uncertain gesture and pressing an almost chaste kiss on the dark-haired knight's lips. For Ren, it had been the starting signal. Finally, the moment had come when Hux accepted his defeat. 

Ren's reflexes were fast, a result of years of fighting, when his hand shot forward and grabbed the back of the General's head to hold him down. The movements of his lips were demanding and greedy, finally knowing the target within reach, and when Hux made no attempt to open up and let his tongue in, he bit him in the lower lip. Not so hard that it would bleed, but hard enough to make his message clear. Indeed, Hux's lips now parted for him so he could take possession of his mouth, but tasting it and thrusting his tongue into it was not enough for Ren. He wanted everything. Still, he let the kiss last as long as he could, holding Hux's lips firmly until he almost ran out of air. It was only when he himself could no longer suppress the urge to breathe that he finally retreated.

"You want your command back," the knight asked gaspingly as he rose to face Hux at eye level. "I can give it to you, but only if you give yourself to me completely. Do not resist, then you will be the commander of the Finalizer again tomorrow "

"I'll do anything you want, you just have to say it," Hux replied, and never before had words tasted so bitter to him. "But I have one last condition. If you're going to take me, you won't do it without a condom." Hux's cheeks glowed as red as his hair was back now, equal parts from the arousal of the kiss and from shame at the thought of what was to come. It had taken a long time for the black colour to grow out, but it had been worth the wait. Ren loved the fiery strands, which suited Hux's fighting spirit much better than the ugly black, and he could hardly wait to bury his fingers and pull at them until tears would run down Hux's cheeks.

The General took a deep breath to get his emotions under control, then he pulled an object out of his pocket and held it out to the other man. Indifferently, Ren took the condom and put it in his pants. "Whatever you want, but from now on don't say another word or you'll wake the baby. Your shoes, open them up and take them off."

Hux swallowed spasmodically, then did as he was told. He put his shoes aside neatly, then stood before the dark-haired knight again, his heart pounding, waiting to see what would happen next.

Kylo Ren was in no hurry. He took his time with the General, wanted to enjoy his victory with all his senses. His fingers were quite still as he closed the gap to him and slowly but steadily opened one button after the other. He had waited more than a year for this moment, and now Hux finally belonged to him again. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that the General had clenched his hands into fists, but he didn't fight back. He could not if he wanted to receive his reward. Nevertheless, Ren could see the resistance in the way Hux had clenched his jaws together, and he could read it in his eyes, which burnt as if he wanted to kill him. He hated to leave him in control, oh yes, very much so, but he still had to submit to him. It was intoxicating to wallow in this feeling that he had such power over Hux.

The General was his property and nothing could stop him now from renewing this claim on him. 

The fabric rustled softly as Ren pushed the shirt from Hux's shoulders, from where it fell to the floor, then simply pulled the undershirt, which was part of the standard underwear, over his head so that the General's upper body lay bare before him. Hungrily Ren absorbed the sight of the freckles on the white chest, over which curly red hairs spread out around the pink nipples, only to disappear at the end of the sternum and reappear at his navel, from where it lead in a promising trail in Hux's waistband. Hux's eyes seemed to burn holes in him as Ren greedily licked his lips. The General's cheeks glowed red with shame and displeasure, and his fists were so tightly closed that his ankles came out white, but that did not impress Ren. Instead, his fingers began to fumble on the buckle of Hux's belt. Hux's chest rose and fell violently as Ren opened it, pulled the leather out of the loops, and dropped it down. Then he proceeded with the trousers as he had done with the shirt.

Slowly, button by button, he got closer and closer to his goal. Hux's pulse raced so loud that it drowned out the thoughts in Ren's head. It was a drumfire, a crescendo of panic and suppressed rage that made Ren enjoy it all the more. Though on the outside he was calm himself, the excitement raged inside him like a wild animal and it cost him all his control not to tear the other man's clothes off his body, but he would not give Hux the satisfaction of seeing him like the beast the other man thought he was. He could control himself if he wanted to, and at the moment it increased his desire to see the General fidgeting immeasurably.

Ren had to squat down to slide Hux's pants over the hip bone so that the General could slip out first with one leg and then the other. Black socks and grey briefs, which like the shirt belonged to the standard underwear, were all the General still wore on his body, yet he held his head up proudly as if he was standing on the bridge in full parade uniform. The signal he wanted to give was clear. Ren might take everything else from him, but he would never rob Hux of his pride. He was General Armitage Hux of the First Order, commander of over a hundred thousand Stormtroopers, inventor and builder of Starkiller, murderer of trillions of people, and after this night cycle commander of the Stardestroyer Finalizer again. He would never surrender to Kylo Ren. 

If he wanted to believe that, he could do so, but Ren would teach him otherwise.

Without a word, he pushed Hux backwards until his calves touched the bed. Reluctantly, the General lowered himself onto the sheets. Ren had actually intended to take him standing, as he had done when he had first taken possession of Hux, but it had felt wrong to do so with the mother of his child. He didn't need sex from behind at the wall to show Hux his place in their relationship. No, he could easily fuck him on their bed. When Ren pushed him back so that Hux's back was on the mattress, he finally sat down next to him and wordlessly began to push his briefs down, Hux turned his head to the side. The shame burned like fire in his cheeks and made him unable to look at the man he had sworn never again to grant him that power over himself.

But to his surprise, Ren made no effort to take off his clothes and force himself on him, as Hux had expected. Instead, the dark-haired knight's fingers now explored Hux's scar, which began above his pubic hair, where it extended from one iliac crest to the other, and which had previously been hidden by his underpants. Bacta patches were an expensive luxury that the clinic had not been able to offer, so the incision through which their child had been brought into the world had been stitched up in the classic manner. Even now, after more than a year, the scar was still red and raised, but it no longer hurt as it did in the first weeks after the birth. Still, it was more sensitive than the rest of his skin when Ren's hand ran along it, his face expressing silent admiration. For him, it was not a blemish that Hux's body was not flawless anymore, it was a privilege. A sign of survival. His own body was covered with scars, evidences of past battles and he had learned to love each and every one of them.

In a tender gesture, he pressed his lips to the delicate flesh and kissed it. His breath was warm on Hux's skin so that the other man trembled, but this time not from anger or shame, but because this touch sent involuntary goose bumps all over his body. But the feeling disappeared immediately as Ren's lips moved down and the General felt curious fingers penetrating him inquiringly. That was it. It would happen now. Surrendering, Hux closed his eyes as he tried to relax his muscles and not fight the unexpected possession of his body, then the General surrendered to his fate.

Tbc...


	4. Chapter 4

Love is madness

Epilog

I knew the moment  
I knew the moment  
I knew the moment  
Love is madness  
I knew the moment I looked into your eyes  
I knew the moment I looked into your eyes  
I knew the moment I looked into your eyes  
Love is madness

(30 Seconds to Mars, Love is madness)

General Hux

No one who did not look closely would notice that General Hux's movements this morning cycle were more strained, his gait more sluggish than usual. He would not give them the satisfaction. In fact, he hardly noticed the pain that twitched like pinpricks with every movement through his insides. It wasn't just his sore vagina that reminded him when walking, standing, or sitting that Ren had been inside him, his whole body felt shattered, from the hours Ren had spent acting out his urges, and when he dressed in the bright light of the refresher this morning, the bruises and tooth marks in his flesh spoke of the events of that night. Thank heaven his collar was high enough so that no one would see the marks on his skin. 

Truly, Hux had regained command of the ship with his sweat and blood, but it had been worth every drop. With a proudly swollen chest, the General looked down at the insignia of his position on the uniform. At last the old conditions were restored. The Finalizer belonged to him again, even if Mitaka had remained in the rank of a general, but he had had to hand over his command to him. It was to be assumed that Mitaka as well as some other officers suspected to which circumstances the redhead owed his promotion, but Hux swore to himself that he would throw anyone out of the airlock personally who dared to make this assumption out loud. He was not yet fully restored, but he already felt his confidence returning to him with every order he gave. 

Obviously this determination was clearly written on his face, for no one dared to look in his direction. No one except Mitaka, whose eyes he felt at his back at every moment, and he was sure that if looks could have killed, Hux would not be among the living. Maybe he should send his adversary down to the maintenance electronics and let him count every single screw on board. That would certainly keep Mitaka busy for the next ten years, and as things stood, he would have no choice but to comply. 

A cold smile appeared on the lips of the new commander at this thought. It was a great feeling to be back at the chain of command. Even if it meant putting up with Kylo Ren between his legs.

XXXXXX

Kylo Ren

It was like a rush. Again and again Ren pounded into the body under him, clawing his fingernails into the white, flawless skin until it bled and buried his teeth in the General's shoulder and neck until he could be sure the marks would be there even days later.

Mine, mine, mine, the word echoed like a mantra through his head.

It was not only his own desire that almost killed him, but it was Hux's lust, too, that echoed hot in his head and from there flowed like fire through his veins. Of course, the General would never admit that he enjoyed their cuppling. Ren knew that Hux hated himself for it, but his body did not care what his mind thought. Over time, the dark-haired knight had learned which buttons to push to get him wet and willing, and he didn't hesitate to use that knowledge. While their sex had been more like a one-sided war in the beginning, it had now become a fight at eye level. Hard, brutal but still erotic. The look from the blue eyes was cold as ice when he found Ren's dark counterparts, but the suppressed sounds that escaped his mouth betrayed him. Ren was sure that the General enjoyed being dominated by him, lying under him where Ren thought he belonged and being fucked by him until he was nothing but lust and pain.

Of course, Hux insisted that they continued to use a barrier, and as much as Ren hated the feeling of separation between their bodies, he still agreed. It was like a net into which Hux let himself fall. It was the only way he could feel safe and let go during sex. More than once, he had made it clear to him that he didn't want to get pregnant again for anything in the world. But if Hux thought the condoms would protect him, he was more naive than Ren had thought. A mental command, that's all it would take to rupture the thin membrane and make sure his genetic material could enter Hux's body. Millions upon millions of sperm would then race to a mature egg to finally fertilise it. 

But the time had not yet come. This phase of his plan would require patience and preparation. Hux should continue to feel safe... Ren would make sure that his injections were not as reliable as the General thought. He would have to be more careful than the first time. Hux now knew the danger and would suspiciously watch every little change in his body, but Ren wanted a second child with him and he was not willing to take no for an answer. Especially not since he knew what it was like to be a father.

Although Arihnda was still young, her potential amazed him every day anew. When she was old enough for him to teach her and when he trained her abilities, she would one day be more powerful than he had ever been. Imagine what an army of his children could do in the galaxy. It might sound like a fixation, but Ren was convinced it would work. With Hux at his side, and the help of his children, he would become the most powerful man in the galaxy. They would use the First Order to bring an end to chaos, build an empire of unprecedented proportions and one day pass it on to Arihnda and her siblings. That would be his legacy to her.

XXXXXX

General Hux

The night cycle was already well advanced, but although Hux's body was dulled and exhausted by their cuppling, he still could not sleep. Lying on his side, he stared over at his slumbering daughter in the faint light of the emergency lighting and a bitter pain stirred in his chest. Arihnda lay facing him, her sweet face relaxed, her mouth half open, her dark lashes spread out like little fans on her rosy cheeks. In the past, Hux never thought he would really be capable of feeling something like love. All he had ever wanted was power, but with the arrival of this little creature in his life, much had changed. Although he would always suffer the worst agonies for his position as commander, he would not die for it. Unlike for his daughter. If the situation required it, Hux would not hesitate to take this sacrifice. She was his weak point, his Achilles' heel, but although the General hated to admit this weakness, he would still hold on to her. 

Like a warm oven, Ren's body pressed against his back, with the dark-haired knight holding one arm wrapped around Hux's middle and breathing noisily into his ear. His large hand rested on Hux's stomach, a gesture that was both familiar and disturbing. Ever since his return, the   
General had suspected that Ren was pushing him towards a second child. It was the way the dark knight looked at their daughter, with a mixture of admiration, affection and at the same time greed, that made Hux fear that the power the girl possessed had awakened in Ren the desire for more children. The fact that he had given in to the General's condition for protection with a condom could only temporarily allay his concerns. Hux knew Ren well enough to know that the dark-haired knight could manipulate it just like the injections, if it fitted into his plans. Even if their relationship had changed, he would never trust Ren enough not to fear that he would ignore his will and impregnate him as tacitly as the first time. 

But if Ren really planned to have another child with him, he would be bitterly disappointed. That would not happen, Hux had seen to that. Immediately before his daughter was born, he had given the healers the order not only to deliver his child during the operation, but also to cut the fallopian tubes immediately so that no more mature eggs could migrate into the uterus. He was now practically infertile and had taken Ren once and for all the power to impregnate him against his will. Even though the finality of this decision sometimes hurt him, he knew he had done the right thing. 

An army created from his and Ren's blood would probably have meant the downfall of the First Order, if not the entire galaxy, and he couldn't let that happen. As much as he loved her, it was good that Arihnda would remain their only child. Hux swore he would make sure Ren didn't turn her into a weapon. He owed her that. She was probably the only good thing that Ren and Hux had ever created in their lives and probably ever would. She was their future, their legacy to the galaxy.

Knowing this, the General eventually closed his eyes and leaned back in Ren's embrace. He would probably never be able to love the dark-haired knight. He had a shattered mind, was manipulative and power-hungry, but Hux had learned to live with it. As difficult as their relationship was sometimes, their daughter would always be a link between them and Hux was sure that they were important to Ren within his emotional possibilities. For this very reason, the dark-haired knight would never let him go, but Hux had made his peace with that too. As a young man, he had often wondered what his fate would be. Today he knew that he was destined to be here, as the commander of the Finalizer and the father of their daughter. 

As crazy as the thought was, Kylo Ren had created with the General a family according to his ideas. A strange, crazy caricature of a family, but nonetheless. If Hux had been told earlier that he would have a family one day, he would have dismissed the idea as absurd. After what he had experienced, the concept was beyond him, but he had never considered the possibility of having a child, too. But here he was now together with Kylo Ren and with his daughter and Hux would do his best to make it work. 

For Arihnda. 

For the first order. 

And for the galaxy. 

\--------------------------------------------

So, dear ones, that was it, the second part of my story and actually it could even end here - but it does not. I'm not quite finished writing the third part, entitled "Set me free", but I'm on a good way, so I'm confident that I can upload it soon. 

I can promise you already now that the drama factor will increase significantly in the next part. So if you want to know how the relationship between Kylo Ren and General Hux is developing, if Ren will be able to control his obsession, if Hux will be able to defend his position as commander and how Arihnda is developing, I would be happy if you give the new part a chance.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any rights to Star Wars, the characters or to the lyrics. Mine is only the idea to the story and I don't earn any money with my writing. I do it only for the love of the writing itself.


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